Unique, starfish can mate sexually and asexually

KOMPAS.com – Starfish is an animal in the sea that has a very beautiful body shape. There are about 2,000 species starfish which inhabit tropical coral reefs, seaweed forests, to the deep ocean.

The majority of starfish also have five arms that extend from their central body, but some species have as many as 50.

The arms of this starfish can grow to more than 60 centimeters in some species and are capable of regenerating and growing into more starfish.

Behind the characteristics, starfish have a unique habit of mating. These animals can reproduce in more than one way, namely sexual and asexual marriage.

Also read: This Sunflower Starfish Reborn After Almost Extinct

Actually, how how starfish reproduce?

Launch Pets on Mom, Thursday (27/1/2022) sexual reproduction is a process that occurs naturally for starfish.

As for asexual reproduction, usually in the form of copies of themselves which results in the formation of two whole starfish with the same DNA.

When the breeding season arrives, starfish will gather and breed in a group to spread sperm to unite with eggs, increasing the chances of producing offspring.

Sea stars have sexual organs or gonads located in each arm. During mating, the male starfish’s gonads contain sperm, while the female’s gonads contain eggs.

invertebrate animals These seas will lock their arms together in order to release their cells to reproduce, where the female starfish releases her egg and the male releases his sperm.

As reported by Animal Wised, Tuesday (11/3/2020) this marriage is called pseudocopulation, because there is physical contact but no penetration.

They will release sperm and eggs in very large numbers. Then, the female starfish will release millions of tiny eggs into the water during spawning.

In certain species of starfish will form and develop in the body of the parent. Therefore, most sea stars are oviparous, as embryos form and develop externally.

The starfish species such as Patiriella vivipara are viviparous whose children develop in the gonads of the mother. The children of this starfish species will leave the mother’s gonads when they have five arms on their bodies.

Also read: Anglerfish bite the female belly and cling like a parasite when mating

On the other hand, the sand star (Archaster typicus) does pseudocopulation in pairs. A male will sit on top of the female and then put his arms around the day to release reproductive cells so that external fertilization occurs.

It has been mentioned that starfish can mate asexually, how do you do that?

Animals such as starfish have the ability to regenerate their arms if they are severed. When the arm is lost or detached they can regrow it within a few months.

If the starfish’s arm is removed along with the midsection where the arm grew, a new starfish can form from the detached portion. Since two starfish have formed from the same species, this process is considered asexual reproduction.

Maybe you’ve seen starfish that have some arms that seem longer than others. This indicates that the animal has regenerated some of its limbs.

Also read: Life is squeezed by rocks, barnacles rely on a very long penis for mating

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